Bad things happen to good people. The faithful suffer illness and death. The righteous are persecuted by the unrighteous. The devout face ruin and destruction. Such trials have happened since the days of the first couple and they continue even now. People much wiser than I have tried to explain this phenomenon in volumes of writings. How can it be that the God of the Bible can allow such suffering? We cannot argue that suffering is not real or that it is some imagination of an active mind. Good people really do suffer.

But it may help to examine one righteous struggler and see what lessons we can learn. Joseph, son of Jacob is a perfect example.

Joseph’s story is found in Genesis chapters 37 through 50. He was born into a family of 12 boys and one girl. Only one brother was younger. Joseph is born to Rachel, the favored wife of Jacob. He the favored child (Genesis 37:3) and serves his father well although even his mother and father become troubled because of dreams that Joseph has which cast them as subservient to him (Genesis 37:9-11).

The resulting jealousy of his brothers causes Joseph to be kidnapped and sold into slavery by his brothers (Genesis 37:12 ff). He rises to prominence and responsibility in the house of Potiphar, a military commander of Egyptian King Pharaoh (Genesis 39:2-6). An encounter with Potiphar’s wife forces Joseph to choose between good and evil. He chooses good and is falsely accused of attempted rape. He is cast into an Egyptian prison. But even in prison God brings him success and causes him to find favor in the jailer’s eyes (Genesis 39:21-23). Joseph precisely interprets dreams of two fellow inmates but even when one returns to his position of honor at the Pharaoh’s side, Joseph is forgotten and languishes for two years in the prison (Genesis 40:1).

Finally, a troubling dream causes Joseph to be brought before Pharaoh himself. The king is so impressed with Joseph that he not only takes him from prison but elevates him to a position second only to the Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:40-45). For 13 years (c.f. Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46) Joseph had ridden roller coaster. At just the moment life began to look better, everything crashed. But through it all Joseph was faithful. Not one word is written that even hints at Joseph losing faith in Jehovah.

It is true that bad things really do happen to good people. But it is also true that even in the darkest hour, God stays with the faithful and brings them through to better days.

It is also true that God’s will is always done even when we suffer.  Although Joseph is not a direct ancestor of Jesus, his life and struggles were required for the coming of our Lord. Pharaoh’s dreams were a divine warning of a coming famine. Joseph, having interpreted the dream, was put in charge of preparations. Joseph was so successful that his estranged family, living in another country, came to Egypt to buy food so that they could survive the foot shortages. Without Joseph’s work, they likely would have succumbed to hunger and disease thus eliminating the line of Jesus.

Because Joseph was so beloved by Pharaoh and the people, an invitation was extended to his family to come and live in Goshen, a province of Egypt. It was there they grew into a mighty people.

Our lives seem to mirror Joseph’s sometimes. One day things are great and the next we can barely hold our heads up. The lesson from Joseph is one of endurance and faithfulness. God can and will do great things with us when we place all of our faith and trust in him. We see the result of Joseph’s life but he could not. Like us, he could only see the walls of a pit and the walls of a prison. But he trusted that God would bring him to a better place, and he did. Does this encourage you? It should. Trust God!

The literacy rate in the United States is 99%. We know how to read. But we are illiterate in one important area. We suffer from Biblical Illiteracy.

Many would disagree. They shout that this is a “Christian nation” that is founded upon “Christian principles.” True enough, but we are still ignorant of the Scriptures to an astonishing degree.

Many can recite the broad outlines of childhood Bible stories. We remember the name of the first couple and we probably know that it was Noah who built an ark. We know Jesus is the Son of God and that he was crucified. But beyond the basics we struggle. In fact, increasing numbers of Christians get their faith from their preacher – not from the Bible. That’s dangerous.

The Bible itself tells us to study:

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Those who do study are held as good examples:

“For Ezra had set his heart to study  the law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his rules and statutes in Israel”  (Ezra 7:10).

“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalms 111:2).

Those who fail to study are shown as poor examples who suffer:

“My people are desroyed for a lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest unto me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children” (Hosea 4:6)

“Desire, without knowledge, is not good” (Proverbs 19:2)

A man without a growing knowledge of the truth is in danger of error. Trusting a preacher with your soul is a horrible gamble. Never trust your preacher! He is fallible and apt to err, sometimes through honest mistakes but sometimes through deliberate sin. Remember the Bible says that even Satan sometimes looks like an angel (2 Corinthians 11:14)

How Did We Become Illiterate?

I’ll offer some thoughts and watch for your comments.

We Became Illiterate When We Became too Busy

Careful Bible study takes time. Although some results are immediate we often must wait for the full results to be evident. Solomon said there is weariness in much study. He is exactly right. Our bodies become tired and our minds slow. Successful study takes time and effort.

Our present world keeps us busy. Sometimes the important things in life are pushed away by the urgent things. With children leading busy lives at school and participating in sports and the necessity for working one and two jobs, it is easy to let Bible study slide away. We need to rethink our time and carve out a few minutes every day for study.

We Became Illiterate When We Became too Rich

Too rich? Is that possible? It absolutely is if we  begin to trust in our stuff instead of in our savior. Paul was clear that we must not trust in our things. Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10. It is the love of money that destroys. The problem is that we trust in physical things which lead us away from God. One of the reasons faith has and continues to be a major force in the African-American community is because for some many years they had few possessions and little hope for any improvement. They had nothing to trust in but God.

When we trust in our possessions we will not expend  the time and effort to grow deeper in our knowledge of God’s word.

We Became Illiterate When We Surrendered the Pulpit to the Clergy

I am a preacher. I am supported by the local congregation but I eschew the term “clergy.” Here’s the problem with the idea of a clergy-laity relationship. Such a system assumes the clergy is somehow special and that his understanding is superior from that of the laity. Now I know I am painting with an awfully broad brush but too often we have seen preachers take churches into places they should not be while fundamentally changing doctrine. You’ve seen it and so have I.

The Bible decries  the elevation of preachers. Consider Jesus’ words of Matthew 23:8-12 where he warned against using terms like “Father” or “Rabbi” to denote religious leaders. The warning is underscored by his comment on being humble and avoiding being exalted. But when we let the preacher tell us what to believe we will not study as we should.

As an example, a young man attended a Vacation Bible School and heard the teacher explain one of the great stories from Jesus’ life. He interrupted the teacher. “That’s not the way my preacher tells it!” The teacher turned to the student and asked him to open his Bible. The youngster blushed, “I don’t have a Bible.” The teacher and the student looked together at the Bible and found that the student’s preacher was wrong. He changed the story to make his point.

Conclusion

We may be illiterate now but it need not continue that way. Decide now to make time to know the Lord better by being in his word. Take responsibility for your own faith. Know the Word!

I try to avoid overt politics here. This site is first about Jesus Christ and his gospel of salvation. We do talk about political issues sometimes as they touch on things of faith but we do shy away from talking about candidates.

But today is different. Kind of.

Cal Thomas is a political pundit who has been around for many years. Born in 1942 he is considered conservative and has been controversial on a variety of topics. He once served as vice president of Moral Majority in the 1980′s.

Thomas published an article May 17, 2012 (yesterday as I write this) which is worthy of both reading and consideration. Called, The President’s Other Gospel,  it is focused on Present Barack Obama and his support of the homosexual agenda. But it also touches on the subject of Biblical Illiteracy.

“President Obama apparently hopes there are sufficient numbers of biblical illiterates — and he could be right about this — that either won’t notice his sleight of hand, or don’t care.”

His point is that the President is trying to convince people that we should accept the practice of homosexuality even though the Bible says otherwise. Thomas is correct in arguing that the Bible doesn’t lie nor does it change.

I would invite our readers to read the article carefully and then return here and offer your thoughts. I am confident we can keep the discussion on a high plane and avoid nastiness. If we can’t, I will shut it down.

Churches are searching for young adults. Survey’s have repeatedly shown that people in their 20′s are abandoning churches in growing numbers. Some return when they marry, have children and begin to look for additional stability but some never come back.

To plug the slow drain some churches have turned to big bands and big social programs but that hasn’t worked well and certainly has not solved the problem.

But the wow factor—expensive bands, charismatic preachers, elaborate social events—doesn’t come cheap. What’s more, many religious leaders worry that offering that kind of experience only encourages young people to think about “the attractional church,” the kind of place you go for entertainment but not for any long-term commitment.

So writes Naomi Schaefer Riley at the Wall Street Journal. Riley is examining  a new para-church movement which seeks to draw the young adults into services which promote a sense of unity among believers in Christ. One survey has 98% of respondents saying the CityOne movement  has brought them closer to a personal relationship with Christ. 42% say they have been helped to connect with local churches.

We want people to be attracted to Jesus. We want people to be drawn to the salvation that is in Christ alone (John 14:6). But it is essential that people be drawn to the true Christ which includes what he paid for with his blood, his church, and the entirety of his teaching (Acts 20:27-28). It is good to see people thinking more about Jesus. It is good to see people giving serious thought to their souls and their eternal home. The church must supply them properly with truth.

What is disappointing, however,  is that it takes a non church to do the work that should belong to the church itself.

Religious leaders ought be asking some very basic questions about our own decline. At the heart is a question about the heart. What do we believe and what do we teach? When any church moves away from the Bible as its single source of doctrine it always fails. When a church changes Biblical teaching in order to attract those outside, it fails. Evangelism is critical. Outreach is vital. Jesus said to go teach and baptize (Matthew 28:18-20). We teach and baptize while God adds them to the church (Acts 2:41, 47).

The church must be pure yet it seems the religious community has morphed into something that doesn’t look too  much like the original Christians. We have gone from worship services, a God centered service, to worship experiences which put the person at the center. We come to get something out of worship instead of putting something into worship.

It might be a good idea to examine what we are doing when the church assembles. There is only good in standing on the words of the Lord. Let us come back to the Bible alone as the source of our teaching. Let us refocus our worship toward God and not the creature (Romans 1:25).

But what we see and what others see may be different especially when we think of the intangible qualities; those internal characteristics that make us unique. What do people see when they look your way? Better, what do you want those people to see?

For some the external image is important. For others emphasis is placed on the intangible qualities. For the Christian, neither is correct. The Christian should reflect the qualities of God, not of himself.

For example, consider David. For all of his thoughts he was still understood to be a man after God’s own heart. His accomplishments as a King notwithstanding, he is best known as one who sought the things of God.

The apostle John, first introduced as one of the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17) came to be known to us as the apostle of love.  John’s writings reflect the love that best describes our Father in heaven (1 John 3:10 ff).

Paul describes the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-26. Those qualities are  the qualities of the Spirit which you and I ought emulate.

Jesus said,  “You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The perfection comes from God’s forgiveness, not from any moral perfection we discover.  When we submit to God in simple faith and obedience he does not charge our sins against us. Consider Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:19: “…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…”

Aren’t there some people that you think of as especially godly? They are not perfect but they are wearing the Spirit’s fruit in their lives. This is the kind of reputation we should strive for.

In the bliss of Eden, man stood before God having been created in his own image (Genesis 1:27). That beauty was destroyed when sin entered but it is not lost forever. We can again attain unto the perfection that is in Christ alone.

So the next time you head out the door, check your appearance in the bathroom mirror but also check your spiritual appearance. What are you reflecting to the world? A hurried mom too busy to think about anything but the next school event? A harried salesman trying to grab the next contract or sale? Let the glory of God be reflected every moment. You are a Christian. Look  the part!

Spring brings the prom. It’s the social event of the year for many young people. But hidden beneath all the fancy dresses and well groomed, tuxedo-clad men lies a dangerous truth. The prom is no place for a Christian. It’s an optional event that is fraught with danger. So much so that the term “prom babies” was coined by the students themselves who know that prom night is a time of relaxed morals.

A dear friend and former classmate of mine from Freed-Hardeman, Cindy Colley has written extensivly about the prom. Please read her latest post,Don’t Tag Me.” Cindy’s words ought to resonate with parents who attended the prom. Do we really think the prom is better than it was in our days? Read this with an open mind and seek the wisdom of God, not the ever-shifting thoughts of men.

By the way, Glenn Colley, Cindy’s husband, preaches at the West Huntsville Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. He and I were also classmates and worked together at WFHC  radio many years ago.

Guess we shouldn’t be surprised, Satan himself is often disguised as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). I’ll let this article speak for itself except to say that wickedness knows no bounds.

There may be some tidbits of good here but, really?

Planned Parenthood Holds Prayer Service

As always, your comments are welcomed.

Only God knows the precise number of those who are saved and those who are lost. But it sure seems that we are not gaining any ground. In 2004, the Barna group reported that 34% of American adults are unchurched, that is, they have not attended a religious service, except for a holiday or special event like a wedding or funeral, in at least 6 months. That was a 92% increase from 1991. In 2010 some researchers estimate the ranks of the unchurched were growing by 1 million every year.

Clearly, something is not working.

As we explore this question of why we are losing more and more souls, we can identify some Biblical landmarks to help us gain some understanding and possible right the ship before it sinks completely.

•  Some will be lost. Indeed, most adults will choose lives of rebellion (Matthew 7:13-14).
•  Salvation is in Jesus only. (John 14:6).
•  The Bible, only, points us to that salvation and is true (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16).
•  The message of salvation is entrusted to men (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 5:18).
•  We are to preach all of God’s word (Acts 20:27; Acts 8:4; 2 Timothy 4:2).
•  That word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 55:11).

Based upon the forgoing 6 points, am I wrong to conclude that we are not preaching the word in its totality and in its power?

There seems to be a gross imbalance in preaching today. In an effort to attract and not to discourage, we preachers, me included, like to preach feel good sermons. We want people to leave the services feeling good so that they will come back next week for another shot of encouragement.

There’s a problem with that.

I have never in my life gone to the doctor for encouragement. I go when something is wrong and I need to be fixed. Sometimes his words are encouraging. Sometimes they are strong, harsh and even painful. I still return, and maybe even more so, when his words are tough.

Preachers must talk about sin.

Preachers must talk about repentance or change.

Preachers must talk about hell and consequences.

If we do not then we do not preach the “whole counsel” of God. If we do not, we show our lack of faith in the power of the word to change men and save souls. If we do not, we suggest that only part of the Scriptures are powerful. We cheat our hearers and give them false hope so we can build our attendance numbers. That’s eternally wrong. We can do better.

Bryant Evans

My good friend Jeremy Pate has a fine post on modesty. It’s rich with sarcasm but maybe that’s the best way to get the message out. Please take a moment to read I have nothing to say about modesty at his blog.

Suddenly, and without slowing the car: “Hey, that traffic light…is it red or green?”

“What?”  the coach asked.

“The light. Is it red or green, I can’t tell.”

“Stop! “ He shrieked. “It’s red!”

As he retold this story to me many years later he chuckled. “Coach made me pull over right then. He never let me drive again.”

Impaired vision is serious. It’s serious when driving but also very serious when navigating through life. Jesus warned that we need to have clear vision so we can help others who sometimes stumble.

Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?  You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  (Matthew 7:3-5; The NET translation)

Sometimes we are blinded by our own clouded view.  We see problems in the lives of others but are blinded to our own shortcomings. Jesus teaches us to first check our own vision and make it clear. Only then will we find ourselves in a position to help others.

Jesus does not teach us, however, that we are to be paralyzed. He does not teach us to do nothing until we are perfect for  that would mean that no one could teach, encourage or even rebuke. None are perfect, all are sinful (Romans 3:23). After all, the apostle did teach that we are to “…reprove, rebuke and exhort…” (2 Timothy 4:2).

In the context of Matthew 7, Jesus teaches us to use righteous judgment and to understand that the kind of judgment we apply to others will also be applied to us. “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).

Think of it as a kind of Golden Rule of judging. Judge others the way you would have them judge you.

Knowing that we will be judged, how would you want to be judged? Righteously. Truthfully. Accurately. With love. With compassion. These are the qualities of true Godly judgment. But they are powerfully difficult to attain.

Nevertheless, let us strive to clear our own field of vision so we can apply these qualities to our daily interactions with others.